The main thing the Buddha discovered was that he could be himself–one hundred percent, completely. He did not invent meditation; there was nothing particularly to invent. The Buddha, “the awakened one,” woke up and realized that he did not have to try to be something other than what he was. So the complete teaching of Buddhism is how to re-discover who we are.

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

For me, this is just a really really powerful statement.